Toy



Dec. 29, 1970 J, VENNQLA 3,550,309

TOY

Filed Jan. 3l, 1959 United States Patent O 3,550,309 TOY Jorma Vennola, Luoteisvayla 17B, Helsinki, Finland Filed Jan. 31, 1969, Ser. No. 795,571

Int. Cl. A63h 3/ 00 U.S. Cl. 46-1 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy comprises a massive body of Wood, plastic, metal or other equivalent material, and a string, ribbon, chain or equivalent attached to the body. In the body are formed several ducts and one end of the string is provided With a threading element able to be passed through these ducts, while the opposite end of the string is prevented from passing through the ducts.

Various toys have been devised for children which are intended on one hand to entertain, and on the other hand to educate, the child. The aim is of the present invention is to afford a toy which fulfills these tasks. The invention is mainly characterized in that in a massive body several ducts are provided and one end of a string is provided with a threading element able to be passed through these ducts, while the opposite end of the string is prevented from passing through the ducts.

A small child plays with this toy by passing, with the aid of the threading element, the string through various ducts and by subsequently removing the string which has been thus passed, from the ducts in opposite sequence. More advanced children (and adults for that matter) may devise various sets of rules for passing the string through the body. For instance, a contest may be arranged in which the participants have to pass the string as swiftly as possible through all ducts without passing it twice through any duct or so that the string crosses itself.

The massive body may be manufactured, for example of wood by turning on the lathe and by drilling the ducts. It is understood that the number, direction and mutual position of the ducts may vary. The massive body may also be made of a plastic material by die-casting.

It is appropriate that the ducts are mutually separate without intersecting. In that case the string which has been passed through a duct will not interfere with the passing of the same string through any other duct. It iS understood that the string may be replaced with a ribbon, a chain, or other equivalent member.

The ducts are most appropriately circular in cross section. By this the passing of the threading element through the duct is rendered easiest. Moreover, ducts of circular cross section are easy to make. It is also possible, on the other hand, to make the ducts triangular, square or of some other specific shape in cross section. The ducts may not only be straight in their longitudinal direction, but they may also be curved, for instance.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the threading element is longer than the longest one of the ducts. This renders the Operation of passing the string through the duct easier because the end of the threading element protrudes from the other end of the duct.

According to the invention, the threading element consists of a pin of wood, metal, plastic, rubber or other equivalent material. In order to facilitate the passing of the pin through the ducts, it is appropriate that the pin tapers towards its ends.

ICC

`If the ducts are curved in their longitudinal direction, it is appropriate that the pin is likewise correspondingly curved. It is also possible in connection with curved ducts to use an elastically or plastically pliable pin, whereby the pin bends appropriately when it is passed through the duct.

The threading element may also consist of the end of the string which has been stiffened e.g. with glue, plastic or some other equivalent agent.

The other end of the string is prevented, according to the invention, from passing through the ducts. This can be arranged by attaching to this end of the string a ball or other such body which is not admitted by the ducts. However, it is more appropriate to attach this end of the string to the massive body. The additional advantage is thus gained that the string cannot be easily mislaid.

The invention is described hereafter with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows in perspective a toy according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows the massive body in section along line II-II of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 3 shows the massive body, viewed from above.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 indicates a cylindrical, massive body made of wood. The cylinder diameter may be, for instance, 10-15 cm. and the height of the same order. Through this body ducts have been drilled, of which one, 2, pierces the body along its axis, while four ducts 3 pass obliquely through the body from one end face to its other and likewise four ducts 4 pass from the opposite end of the body to its said other surface.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, a radial bore has been made in the peripheral face of the massive body 1, in which bore with the aid of glue the end of a string 5 has been fixed. The string may be about 2 metres in length. To the opposite end of the string a pin 6 has been attached, which has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ducts, so that the pin may pass through the ducts.

Various embodiments of the invention may obviously vary within the scope of the attached claims. For instance, the massive body 1 may have the shape of a sphere, a barrel, or other equivalent shape.

I claim:

1. A toy comprising a massive body having a plurality of bores therein which extend through said body in isolation from one another and a continuous string having one end prevented from passing through said bores, and a threading element on the other end of the string of cooperative shape of said bores to pass therethrough and facilitate insertion of the string into said bores, said massive body being cylindrical and said bores including at least a first bore extending substantially axially between opposite end surfaces of the massive body, and at least one inclined bore extending from the peripheral surface of the massive body to one of the end surfaces thereof.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bores are of circular cross section.

3. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the threading element is longer than the longest of the bores.

4. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said threading element is a pin.

5. A toy as claimed in claim 4 wherein the pin tapers toward its ends.

6. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pin is somewhat pliable.

' 4 7. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said threading l References Cited ltrlreggomprises stiffening means on said string at said UNITED STATES PATENTS 8. A toy as claimed in claim 1 comprising means con- 960,623 6/1910 Clerk 273-159 necting said one end of the string to the massive body.

9. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of inclined bores are provided extending uniformly around the massive body to form a Circular array of openings 273 159 surrounding said at least one axial bore.

5 ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

